Many SF Polling Places Ghost Towns, How Was Yours?

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As Chris Roberts reported earlier today, most campaigns expect today’s election turnout to be a low 35%. Add the expectation that about half of those votes are cast by mail (Chris reports “in the last three November elections held in San Francisco, absentee ballots comprised 50.35, 68.19, and 46.01 percent of the total turnout”) and it seems like your local polling places could be pretty empty today.

I just voted at my usual place, an Outer Sunset firehouse, and the “empty” theory was true for me. There was one other voter there, and workers said it had been slow all day.

Was my experience par for the course? I took a brief survey of folks I know, and was surprised at how many of them are in-person, day of voters. Here’s what they said they saw:

Beth Spotswood: who waits to vote until election day “in case something weird happens at the last minute,” visited her Mission district polling place in a residential garage at 8:35 this morning. “There was one other voter there.” she says.

Jackson West: voted at 9 AM at the Warehouse Workers Union Hall, 255 9th Street. He says it was “very quiet — one other voter?” With “no campaign workers…waving signs or anything. Most of the door hanger fliers on the sidewalk read Avalos.”

Derek Bradley: voted in a SOMA firehouse this morning, and said that it “wasn’t very busy” but that “I think I heard people say there was an early morning rush that I missed.”

Corey Denis: voted at 9 AM in the Northern Mission, not far from Church and Market. She says she had to wait maybe 10 minutes, and that she was in line behind “maybe 10 people.” “Herrera fans / lots of campaigning around my polling place,” she reported.

Cassidy Friedman: says he voted at about 12:15, and says “a voter was walking out as I walked in” at his church basement polling place at Oak/Steiner,” but that no one else was voting there, though a “guy came in as I was leaving.”

Eve Batey is the editor and publisher of the San Francisco Appeal. She used to be the San Francisco Chronicle's Deputy Managing Editor for Online, and started at the Chronicle as their blogging and interactive editor. Before that, she was a co-founding writer and the lead editor of SFist. She's been in the city since 1997, presently living in the Outer Sunset with her husband, cat, and dog. You can reach Eve at eve@sfappeal.com.

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netzard

I voted at 8:30am in Noe Valley. It was pretty quiet. Folks seemed to be rolling in one at a time. Took the lady who was working a few minutes to get to me however, cause she was doing data recording for all the voters who had obviously already come through. A variety of signs in the Noe, Herrera, Avalos, Dufty, and Lee. Nice of those few local businesses to let me know they support Ed Lee. Now I know to never spend another dime in their stores.

netzard

I voted at 8:30am in Noe Valley. It was pretty quiet. Folks seemed to be rolling in one at a time. Took the lady who was working a few minutes to get to me however, cause she was doing data recording for all the voters who had obviously already come through. A variety of signs in the Noe, Herrera, Avalos, Dufty, and Lee. Nice of those few local businesses to let me know they support Ed Lee. Now I know to never spend another dime in their stores.

salsaman

Potrero Hill location was pretty quiet around 9:15, one person leaving and one other person voting when I arrived. An election worker asked if it was hard to find, nope, pretty easy; maybe she expected more people. Netzard, are business owners allowed to disagree with you and still get your business? Pretty harsh standard for doing business with somebody.

salsaman

Potrero Hill location was pretty quiet around 9:15, one person leaving and one other person voting when I arrived. An election worker asked if it was hard to find, nope, pretty easy; maybe she expected more people. Netzard, are business owners allowed to disagree with you and still get your business? Pretty harsh standard for doing business with somebody.

Rhiannon Charisse

Voted around 11 in the projects on 26th and Folsom/Harrison, there were about 4 people in there, and all of the attendants were super nice. Gave the toddler I had with me a sticker and everything. Saw the Garfield Park Clubhouse polling place had pretty regular turnaround too.

Rhiannon Charisse

Voted around 11 in the projects on 26th and Folsom/Harrison, there were about 4 people in there, and all of the attendants were super nice. Gave the toddler I had with me a sticker and everything. Saw the Garfield Park Clubhouse polling place had pretty regular turnaround too.

netzard

@salsaman Normally it is not the standard I would hold a business to, but if someone is supporting Ed Lee I have to assume they are as corrupt as he is and/or they got their business license by paying somebody at city hall off. I have rarely been so revolted by such shameless and open contempt for the voting public that the Lee campaign has shown. Sorry if you are a fan, but I find the whole back-room dealing that made him mayor without a vote and Gascon DA instead of Police Chief just a little too gross. Rose Pak and Willie Brown foisted him upon us. That should be enough to put anyone off of him.

netzard

@salsaman Normally it is not the standard I would hold a business to, but if someone is supporting Ed Lee I have to assume they are as corrupt as he is and/or they got their business license by paying somebody at city hall off. I have rarely been so revolted by such shameless and open contempt for the voting public that the Lee campaign has shown. Sorry if you are a fan, but I find the whole back-room dealing that made him mayor without a vote and Gascon DA instead of Police Chief just a little too gross. Rose Pak and Willie Brown foisted him upon us. That should be enough to put anyone off of him.